Penn State football predicted to land top transfer portal WR Julian Fleming from Ohio State

The transfer portal has been going nonstop for almost two weeks, with no signs of slowing down. The portal activity seemingly changes by the day or, in some cases, by the hour. At least externally, this has been the case trying to watch Penn State football and its recruitment of former Ohio State and No. 1 WR prospect Julian Fleming. But after looking like he was all but headed to Nebraska earlier this week, multiple recruiting experts logged predictions overnight for Fleming to commit to the Nittany Lions.

Multiple recruiting experts pick Penn State to land Ohio State WR Julian Fleming from transfer portal

Penn State football seemed like the clear and heavy favorite when Ohio State WR Julian Fleming hit the transfer portal on December 4. Fleming, the former No. 1 WR and top player in Pennsylvania for the 2020 cycle, grew up 90 miles from State College.

However, much like Fleming’s first recruitment, the Nittany Lions appeared to be losing ground as the week wore on. Reports emerged that Fleming was set to visit, and later trending towards a commitment to, Nebraska. The Cornhuskers seemed poised to land a package deal with Fleming and former Ohio State QB Kyle McCord.

But things move fast in the transfer portal era. Wednesday, news broke that McCord would be moving on from Nebraska in his recruitment. Whether or not the Cornhuskers were still leading for Fleming was uncertain for most of the day Thursday, as the former No. 1 WR has been keeping things quiet during this process.

But ultimately, Julian Fleming may end up in Happy Valley after all. Thursday night, 247Sports national analysts Brian Dohn and Chris Hummer logged crystal ball predictions for Penn State football to land the former Ohio State WR. On3’s transfer portal tracker, which originally had Fleming as a heavy lean towards Nebraska, now also favors the Nittany Lions considerably.

What would the Nittany Lions be getting with Fleming’s commitment?

From an optics perspective, a commitment from Julian Fleming would excite many people around Happy Valley. Losing out on Fleming has been one that has stung around the Penn State football community for a while.

The former Ohio State Buckeye is rated by 247Sports as the No. 6 WR currently in the transfer portal. While the potential is certainly there for Fleming as a former five-star recruit, it can’t be ignored that his career in Columbus didn’t live up to expectations. After battling injuries and a loaded Ohio State WR room, Fleming’s four-year Buckeye career ended with 79 receptions for 963 yards and seven touchdowns.

But one thing is certain: Penn State football needs some help at the WR position. The Nittany Lions are targeting several other prospects in the portal. But Fleming seems like he may be the first domino to fall.

In the end, this addition would have plenty of potential for QB Drew Allar and new OC Andy Kotelnicki as they look to build the Penn State offense for 2024.

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